A five-member criminal group was detained by officials from the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs while attempting to smuggle a kilogram of radioactive material out of Russia. This information was released by the FSB’s Center for Public Affairs (TsOS).
According to the statement, the detainees planned to act on behalf of a foreign customer, arranging the purchase of one kilogram of cesium-137 for 3.5 million dollars. Their aim was to bypass legal prohibitions and export the substance abroad, with the intent to use it against Russian interests in a stated special military operation.
The FSB added that the operation was coordinated by a Ukrainian citizen. TsOS noted that the exported cesium-137 could be used in demonstrations where weapons of mass destruction would be employed to discredit Russia.
Criminal cases were opened against the five individuals for preparations to smuggle radioactive materials. The FSB emphasized that all detainees were taken into custody and acknowledged their involvement during questioning.
Cesium-137 serves in the treatment of cancerous tumors, in radiosterilization of products and medicines, and in measuring and scanning equipment as well as in X-ray devices. This material is highly radioactive and poses extreme danger to human health. Citing unnamed experts, RIA Novosti asserted that cesium-137 could be used to construct a so-called “dirty bomb.”
The FSB also released video footage of the arrest. One detainee stated that he held citizenship in Russia, Ukraine, and the Donetsk People’s Republic, and he admitted to his actions.
On June 19, Sergei Naryshkin, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said that Kiev could continue to pursue a dirty bomb. The SVR further claimed that Ukraine sought to ship irradiated fuel from the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant for processing.
A “dirty bomb” is essentially a container carrying radioactive material and explosives. In practice, such an explosion could replicate the impact of a peaceful nuclear power plant incident or any operation involving radioactive substances.
On November 3, 2022, Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, stated that Moscow suspected Western facilitators were involved in the creation of a “dirty bomb” by Ukraine. He warned that available data indicated ongoing work toward forming a radioactive charge, with concerns about a potential global catastrophe should Western involvement be confirmed.
Earlier, on October 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed the British counterpart on a possible Ukrainian provocation involving a dirty bomb during a meeting with Ben Wallace. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, dismissed the reports as entirely false and predictable nonsense. Later, on November 3, IAEA experts inspected three nuclear facilities in Ukraine and found no evidence of illicit nuclear activity.
In a separate briefing, the FSB reported that Ukraine had arrested two pilots from the GUR unit, which was established under the leadership of Kirill Budanov. The agency claimed the group had light aircraft intended to strike Russian infrastructure and that interrogations indicated plans for a terrorist attack in Russia using a dirty bomb.